


Lost One: The Discovery of a Warrior

by Ratonhnhaketon2056



Series: Lost One [1]
Category: Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: F/M, Slight mental issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-12
Updated: 2014-09-28
Packaged: 2017-12-29 05:44:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1001694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ratonhnhaketon2056/pseuds/Ratonhnhaketon2056
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the war continues, an estranged teenage girl plays a very important role in the success of one side. She works alone, a fierce fighter, which captures the optic of a certain Decepticon. OC-Centric Story. Don't like, don't read! No flames please!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue:The Final Battle

Prologue - The Final Battle

The atmosphere of a battle was a varied one. It was common that one side saw conflict as a necessity and fought valiantly, yet disliking the action of taking lives and been taken in turn. Yet the Decepticons have always loved battle, no matter if they won or lost. They took joy in the exhilaration of escaping with their lives, in hurtling across the sky as laser fire and missiles exploded beneath them, in the triumph of delivering the final blow that would gain them a victory.

The Great War was drawing to a close. With both of the Autobots and Decepticons at a stalemate, for both sides had gained as many advantages as they could, the final turning point that could end everything lay in the siege of Iacon. The Decepticons had tried everything to gain an early victory, from manufacturing Dark Energon to seizing the powerful and ancient Cybertronian artifacts hidden in the vaults of Iacon. But this siege would ultimately decide the victory of one side. Almost every Decepticon became eager and restless for this battle of untold scale.

"C'mon, Blitz, we're gonna miss the battle!" A sharp feminine voice shouted. It was followed by the dark slender winged form of a seeker femme hovering among the high arching spires and towers of Vos. The city-state was already stirred into action, with the dark indigo sky particularly covered in the neat formations of the seeker warriors flying in the same direction.

"Alright, Darkstorm. Letz go!" A much taller figure at her side, a beige and purple mech, agreed gladly.

The two transformed and shot off to join the other fliers, arriving at Iacon in a few megacycles. They could see the rallied Decepticon ground forces already gathered before the large double gates of the Autobot city-state. The tall authoritative figure of the Decepticon leader, Megatron, stood at its head. His elite soldiers, Starscream, Lugnut, Blitzwing and the seeker femme, joined him, flanking both of his sides neatly.

"Blitzwing and Darkstorm. I can always trust you two to be on time." Megatron greeted them brusquely.

"Of course. I never run late, Brother, not for a battle like this." The seeker femme now named as Darkstorm winked.

"Indeed there will not be another battle like this," Megatron turned to address the troops with his deep commanding voice, "Decepticons! This is the solar cycle when Cybertron comes under the rule of those who deserve it, and the megacycle when those wretched Autobots will perish!"

The Decepticons roared with approval, stamping their feet and clashing their weapons together. All except the triple changer Astrotrain, who looked a little doubtful as he tried his best to avoid his leader's searching look.

"Say anything, Astrotrain, and I will let the Autobots have free shots at you." The warlord said quietly to the other. The triple changer gulped and gripped his blaster tighter.

The siege of Iacon began without further ado. The Decepticons started by aiming their heavy-duty plasma cannon at the gates and firing until the metal started to buckle. The Autobots returned fire by activating their main city weapon, a photo pulse cannon, and shooting at the Decepticons. Soon the ground was torn up with explosions and littered with wounded mechs.

"Push on! Do not stop firing that plasma cannon!" Megatron shouted as some of the Decepticons faltered, "Team Chaar and Decepticon Elite, you're with me when we storm the city! Half of you will head straight towards Metroplex to secure the Autobot High Council and the other half of you will capture the Energon Bridge. Now go!"

The Decepticons surged forward like an overwhelming tidal wave as the gates finally collapsed under their assault. They were immediately met with the Autobots' fierce defense, led by Ultra Magnus himself and his own elite soldiers. Here the Decepticons split into their assigned groups and headed deeper into Iacon while Megatron and his team held them off.

"I'll deal with Ultra Magnus. The rest of you, dispose of his lackeys!" The warlord ordered quickly.

"You're going down in style, Autobot scum!" Darkstorm yelled. She and her mate double-teamed a mech armed with a shield and energy lance and soon disarmed him. Without pausing, Blitzwing spun around and with a well-aimed blast from his ice cannons, froze another mech who had hoped to land a blow with his dual nunchaku. However, they failed to notice a small red minibot aiming a rocket launcher at them. Fortunately the mech was prevented from firing when Starscream scored a hit with his null rays.

"You're losing your touch, my dearest brother." The second-in-command mocked good-naturedly.

"Ha, jou wish!" Blitzwing shot back, "Try to keep up vhen ze Autobots start to zhrow everyzhing at us."

"Not if we beat them back first! Look, most of them are offline already." Darkstorm encouraged. After all, it did seem like they were about to defeat the Autobot elite soldiers. They could continue to push inwards and rejoin the other Decepticons if so.

But something suddenly went wrong. There was an incomprehensible shout from Megatron's direction, and the battleground suddenly erupted into brilliant white light. Pure boundless energy surged through the ground, tearing their way through the Decepticons' frames without mercy. Darkstorm was caught in it directly and screamed in agony as she collapsed against a groaning Blitzwing. From the looks of Ultra Magnus' still-sparkling hammer, it seemed that he had unleashed its power over lightning upon them. Megatron had somehow managed to redirect most of its destructive power into a nearby building, though it looked like he had barely survived as he supported himself weakly on one of his swords.

"Get up, Darkstorm. Ve have to find cover if jou need to recuperate." Blitzwing gently hauled the seeker femme to her feet, "Come on, just a little—"

A sickening crunch of metal against metal cut him off. Darkstorm jolted and uttered a little cry of surprise as the tip of a blade sprouted in the middle of her chestplates.

Blitzwing felt that fatal wound in her spark as his own as he screamed in agony and fell to his knees. Despite the excruciating pain, he could see every nanoklick of life leaving his mate, her colors fading into a nondescript gray as energon began to pour from the cut.

"No! No! Darkstorm, stay vith me! Stay vith me!" He begged brokenly, cradling the femme's limp frame in his arms.

She managed to online her optics one last time to give him a small sad smile, "Kick their skidplates for me, will you?"

"NO! Jou hang on right now! I'll get jou to Hook as quick as I could—"

"Too late," Darkstorm sighed, "You have to continue on with the battle. Just remember… I will always watch over you."

"Darkstorm…" Blitzwing could only whisper forlornly. The battle no lingered mattered to him; he could not even hear the explosions and the anguished cries of dying mechs around him. There was only his fading mate in his arms as she slowly gasped her last breath.

"Blitzwing… I…" The femme tried to choke out. But her systems offlined with a strained whine, followed by her optics finally blinking out. Darkstorm gave a final shudder and was still.

Blitzwing would have buried his faceplates against his mate's chestplates and sobbed his spark out had not a rough grip jerked him to his feet. He met Megatron's stern gaze helplessly, noting absently that the warlord held a smoldering look of rage unlike anything he'd seen before.

"Mourn when the battle is over. For now, direct your anger towards the Autobots. They shall pay for every life they take from us." Megatron's voice was deadly calm.

Blitzwing could only nod, and scooped up Darkstorm's frame in both arms. With his spark feeling as if it were torn to pieces, he placed his beloved mate in a concealed place outside of Iacon and rejoined the battle with renewed fury. He found the one who had stabbed Darkstorm, a medium sized mech with an orange and red paintjob and armed with a long doubled-handed sword, and promptly tore his spark chamber out. However, the ending of Darkstorm's killer did not ease the aching void that had opened in his being one bit.

In the end, all the preparations they made weren't enough. The Autobots drove them out of Iacon with immeasurable losses with the remaining Omega Sentinels they had. The Decepticons managed to disable many of them, but one had sacrificed itself as a living bomb to destroy most of Iacon, and any Decepticon unfortunate enough to be caught in the explosion. Megatron barely fled the ensuing destruction with a handful of battered soldiers, his elite among them. However, he had remembered to retrieve Darkstorm's long grayed-out frame as they flew towards Vos to recover.

Blitzwing laid his mate in her final rest at the base of a valley close to the city-state. She once flew around it frequently, for she loved the view this place offered of her home.

"From here it looks like Vos is spread among the clouds, a city that floats through the air," Darkstorm had once described dreamily when he asked her, "Like some sort of paradise free from all the troubles Cybertron is going through right now."

However, there was never going to be a paradise on their planet, now that Megatron's plans for reformation had failed. The Autobots soon pursued them to Vos and destroyed the home of the seekers, along with Kaon after they fled there. The Decepticons were struggling even to survive from this relentless assault when Ultra Magnus finally gave them an offer: To be exempt from their so-called war crimes if they left Cybertron in exile.

They had lost the war fair and square.

However, Megatron wasn't the quitting type. At some point during the war the Autobots had tossed the fount of all Cybertronian life, the AllSpark, into space in order to keep it safe. This ancient artifact also had the potential to be rewired into a weapon of mass destruction… and a possible key to turn the war back into their favor once again. As soon as the warlord realized this, the Decepticon flagship  Nemesis  was made ready for departure on an expedition to find the missing AllSpark. He took Starscream, Blitzwing and Lugnut along with him.

They all knew this search could take millions of stellar cycles. Sure enough, life soon became extremely monotonous as they deployed the ship's scanners solar cycle after solar cycle. As a result, they began to recall their early memories before and during the war, a time when the Decepticons still had a chance of victory. Eventually their thoughts turned onto their missing team member long offlined in the siege of Iacon, Darkstorm.

Starscream shuttered his optics after running an umpteenth scan on the console.

When he first met Darkstorm, he had just become the SIC of the Decepticons and wanted to please his leader in every way. He was directing work at the Energon Bridge that solar cycle along with his two trinemates, Skywarp and Thundercracker. They all tried their best to be productive, for Megatron was scheduled to drop by soon to inspect the Dark Energon's manufacturing speed. Sure enough, the Decepticon leader arrived on time; Starscream went to greet the warlord courteously.

"Greetings, Lord Megatron. I trust your journey has been smooth? The work here is going well, and we have harvested enough Energon to last us many vorns."

"That's good to hear. I knew I could trust you to handle this unruly group of miners." Megatron turned around to address his second, in turn revealing the form of a tall slender seeker behind him.

"If I may be so bold to ask, who is that behind you?" Starscream asked curiously.

"This is Darkstorm, my younger sister," Megatron gestured, "She has recently decided to renounce her neutrality and declare allegiance to the Decepticons. I am introducing her to our current war efforts."

"So you're the second-in-command? Huh, I kinda expected someone… well, more impressive." Darkstorm said pointedly.

Starscream sputtered indignantly, "Watch your mouth, rookie. I bet I can knock you flat in battle in only five nanokliks."

"Oh yeah? Come on, then!" Darkstorm dropped into a defensive crouch with her fists at the ready.

Fortunately, Megatron intervened before the worksite can turn into a full-on brawl, "Darkstorm, don't mouth off my second-in-command. Starscream, do return to your duties. I will be taking her to inspect our weapons supply."

Starscream's pride still felt ruffled after the femme had left. To think that a newbie would treat him with utter lack of respect, granted that she was Megatron's sister! Even though he continued to seethe over this, he couldn't help but approve of Darkstorm's strong fighting spirit. She would be a good addition to the army.

"Wow. That femme is quite the knockout." Skywarp whistled after Starscream had returned to his post. He earned a whack on the helm from Thundercracker for his comment.

Starscream smiled bitterly at the distant memory. That fun battle-loving seeker was hard to forget once he had seen her. When she had progressed into becoming his brother's mate, he had to admit he liked Blitzwing's choice.

Darkstorm, both a mate and a sister. She had left many ties and influences behind, including Megatron himself. This solar cycle he was remembering her first actual battle, a raid to collect the powerful artifacts of Cybertron from the vaults of Iacon.

"I think it is about time you start putting your battle skills to use, Darkstorm. You will go with Blitzwing, Brawl, Barricade and Blackout on this raid to seize the artifacts. Try your best to find the Requiem Blaster as you search. Lugnut, Starscream and I will be but a call away when you find it." Megatron addressed the group of mechs before him. At first he had been reluctant to send Darkstorm into battle right away, but she had proved herself a formable opponent in the many times he watched her spar.

He sighed inwardly. He could not hope to keep her from the dangers of battle forever. The most he could do now is to go along with her in her first skirmish.

Darkstorm acknowledged with a hearty yell, "Yes, Brother. Alright, Decepticons. Let's go!"

Soon every member of the team transformed and set out from Kaon. As for the grounders, Barricade held on to Blackout's undercarriage, and Brawl held onto Blitzwing. They had decided to go in stealth as long as they could, so it was only when they dropped into Iacon when they met a battalion of Autobot soldiers. The Decepticons fended them off with ease.

"Ha! This is way too easy. When will they stop sending us all these cannon fodder?" Darkstorm scoffed as she blasted Autobot after Autobot.

"Don't let down your guard—" Megatron started to reprimand her, but he was cut off by a loud explosion when a missile was fired into their midst, sending Decepticons flying everywhere. With a deafening rumble, the ground collapsed beneath Darkstorm and her team, sending them into the depths.

The warlord's spark lurched sickeningly as he contacted her, :Darkstorm, are you unharmed? Can you find your way back up?:

:Don't worry, I'm fine. I could fly back to the surface, but I may have found the underground tunnels. I'm going to see if they lead to the vaults.: The seeker femme thankfully replied.

Megatron let out his intakes in relief. He wanted to join Darkstorm in her search for the vaults, but he had to clear the way of Autobots first and make sure they remained distracted enough to leave Darkstorm's team alone. He had to trust that she could make it.

The warlord should have known better. Soon his sister was contacting him again after he had cut his way through another wave of Autobot defenses.

:Megatron, I have found the vaults. We require a few detpacks to break them open and some heavy firepower. I feel the steps of a Dinobot coming our way!:

It was easy enough to pinpoint Darkstorm's location. Megatron ordered his team to bomb their way directly to the vaults using these explosive devices, soon meeting up with his sister amid the debris. He left Trypticon and Brawl to deal with the Autobots on the surface as he took three more detpacks with him. Setting them on the vaults and detonating them, each Decepticon grabbed as many artifacts as they could. Megatron ended up with the one known as the Skyboom Shield while Darkstorm retrieved the Requiem Blaster.

The rest of the raid was easy, since they only had to fend off the Autobots as they fell back. In almost no time at all they were back at Kaon and celebrating this victory with the artifacts in their possession.

"You did well today, Darkstorm," Megatron addressed his sister as the Decepticons started to bring out the high grade, "You reacted quickly in battle and turned your disadvantage into your advantage."

"I told you I would be fine," Darkstorm grinned, "There's no need in being a worrywart all the time."

In the present megacycle, Megatron sighed wearily and leant his helm against one hand. As an older brother, of course he was entitled to watch over her and advise her to be careful. But in the end, she still got herself offlined in combat. No amount of wistful thinking about how he should have done this or that would bring her back.

Blitzwing suffered the most, since he was forced to bear the pain of their severed spark bond. Everyone left him alone for the first few solar cycles, knowing that nothing they can say would assuage his sorrow. He tried his best not to relieve the cycles of her death repeatedly, thus turning his mind on their first meeting.

The door to Blaster's Music Emporium opened wide to admit him back into the brightness outside. Blitzwing blinked a few times in disorientation; once again he had lost an entire afternoon in hunting for new worthy pieces of music to add to his collection. He was very pleased nevertheless, for he had found many of them.

He transformed and took to the air to head back to Vos. It was a peaceful solar cycle to be flying, and from his point of view he could see mechs of all kinds enjoying the beautiful weather. The Cybertronians hadn't been divided into Autobots and Decepticons yet, so all were free to mingle with each other without thought for faction.

"Hey, Blitz!" A familiar voice hailed him. It was his former classmate in the Cybertronian Science Academy, Skyfire in his shuttle alt-mode. He was accompanied by a fusion fighter and a sleek jet.

"Hello, Skyfire," Blitzwing shifted back to his bipedal form as the other three did the same, "It's good to see jou again! Jou mind introducing me to jour companions?"

"This is Megatron and his sister Darkstorm. I met them on my guest lecture back at the Academy. Megatron was one of speakers, and I gotta admit that he made some very good points on Cybertronian society. They came all the way from Kaon, so I had to show them around! We're on our way to Iacon right now." Skyfire explained.

"You are welcome to join us." The larger mech who had been named as Megatron nodded politely.

"Maybe," Blitzwing returned doubtfully, "I vould like to catch up vith Skyfire too, so let me check mien schedule…"

His voice trailed off when his gaze stopped at the third figure, who had been revealed as a tall seeker femme with a black paintjob. She met his look steadily with a challenging glare that eventually softened into curiosity.

Blitzwing had seen plenty of femmes in his lifetime, though he had never considered taking on a serious relationship. He always thought them somewhat annoying, often clinging to a mech and demanding attention and pampering. However, one look at this Darkstorm upended this perspective; this was a femme who carried herself around with pride and backed down from nothing. She was definitely a fighter at spark.

Then Blitzwing ended up going with them on their tour. He talked much with Skyfire and Megatron, but Darkstorm had captured most of his attention. At the end of the solar cycle when they parted ways, they had left each other their comm. frequencies.

Going over memories ended up tormenting Blitzwing more than anything, so he stopped as he released a mournful howl that echoed hollowly in his quarters. He recalled Starscream entering at some point to sit silently by his side and leaving behind a cube of energon. There was a part of Blitzwing's mind that appreciated his brother's attempt to comfort him. But he knew that he could not be consoled by any mech this cycle.

The atmosphere aboard the Nemesis continued to worsen now that the Decepticons could not throw themselves into battle as a temporary distraction. So when Megatron made an announcement one solar cycle, everyone leapt into action almost immediately.

"Decepticons, we have found the AllSpark."


	2. Introduction

 

Chapter 1: Introduction

Under the relentless sweltering sun in the small desert town of Hesperia, Southern California, a young girl standing at 5'9" walked calmly down the chaotic street to her school. It was Friday, the last day of the week before the weekends, and it was clear from her jaunty gait that she was looking forward to the weekend.

The girl had short, straight dark blonde hair hidden under the hood of a black Monterey Bay hoodie. She wore red jeans and black and blue sneakers. A black Falken Tire hat with a pair of white sports sunglasses completed her outfit.

She stopped at a corner to let a blue 1986 Chevrolet Chevelle drive by, giving the driver a thumbs up. Walking across the street, she entered her school, Sultana High. The girl sat at the table near her classroom, pulling out a book from her backpack to read for a while before class started. Eventually the bell rang, and she went inside her room with a growing sense of agitation. The bright, sunny, warm day did nothing to brighten her spirits.

She sat at her table group, reading her book boredly until class started. She listened for her name, which came but a second later.

"Alexis Lynn Boyer?"

"Here." She was one of many Alexis's in her class. Therefore the teacher, Mrs. Cole, called their full names. Then the brown metal door creaked open and a boy in a black jacket and black shorts walked into the room, handing the teacher his late pass. He sat in his spot next to Alexis with gusto.

"No need to be so dramatic, Chris." Alexis grumbled.  
He just laughed, "Nah, you know you love me, Blue Streak."

Alexis' mood lifted slightly as she chuckled, remembering how she received that nickname which described her oh-so-well...

  
_Alexis, Chris, Vanessa and Alexis Parker were hanging out at the end of the grass lot, talking about Warriors, a book series she knew an abundance of. She started talking about the sixth book in the first series, The Darkest Hour._  
_"I love that Firestar is taking on the threat of BloodClan but Whitestorm should have lived. They should have made Tigerstar fight the battle and not killed him, which is ironic in itself, because he brought his own death upon himself—"_  
_The black-haired Vanessa cut her off, "Alex, ya know I love ya, but you need to learn not to ramble. Until then, I bestow upon you your new name. Alexis, you shall forevermore be called Blue Streak."_  
_At this, Alexis rolled her eyes in amused exasperation and started talking about her newest PS3 game instead._

"Blue Streak, pay attention!" A marker waved in front of her face as Alexis was jolted out of her memories. She flung her head up with wide eyes and looked at the teacher.  
"Yeees? How may I help you?" She meant it genuinely, but the class took it as a joke, and roared with laughter.

Mrs. Cole then continued on with the lesson, her sharp voice melting into an incomprehensible drone. The rest of the day went uneventfully, and Alexis soon found herself wrestling with sheer boredom though she tried her best to appear interested and engaged.

After school ended, Alexis headed straight to her home on Maple Avenue and locked the gate, heading inside. She had grown used to the empty silence that greeted her as she opened the door.

The young girl lived by herself, and she made sure that this fact remained relatively unknown. Alexis had enough things to struggle with even without the incessant questionings that were sure to follow… as well as the sudden recalling of the events that brought her here.  
Alexis scowled and shut the door non-too-gently. She needed to get busy, now. Supper was a great place to start.

She went to the kitchen, took out a pan started to make grilled cheese. After dinner with chips and Pepsi, Alexis retired to her room after making sure all the doors and windows were locked tight. She did her homework methodically until she was too tired to continue. Collapsing into her bed and pulling the comforter over her cold body, Alexis fell into a fitful slumber.

In the morning, she had pancakes for breakfast and got dressed quickly. Alexis had an internship on Saturdays, so she had to wake up much earlier than usual for work. She walked solemnly down the road, took the bus down the freeway and entered her place of employment, The Coffee Bean in the Victoria Gardens.

"Hey, Boss. Ready for work."  
"Good morning, Alexis. You will be working the register today."  
Alexis sighed inwardly. She disliked dealing with the occasional annoying customers and arguing with them after she "allegedly" got their order wrong.

After a tedious day of plastering a large fake smile on her face and facing five customers who seemed to purposefully cause trouble, Alexis handed in the money from the register and caught the bus heading back home, sitting in the back with music blaring loud in her ears through a set of headphones.

That was how the next week went. A monotony of school, work and travel seemed to numb Alexis to the point that she no longer looked forward to anything. However, the loneliness was always there each time she headed back to an empty house, as well as a simmering anger towards what had happened years ago.

Finally, it was the last two days of school. For once, this was a change that Alexis longed for each year.


	3. Final Days

On the second to the last day of school Alexis sat quietly as usual during her lessons, answering questions whenever she was called on until her teacher stood from her desk to speak.

"Class, I have a huge surprise for you, but you are going to have to wait until tomorrow. Right now I know Alexis has the radio she built in her free time, so we will have the party today instead."

The class cheered enthusiastically as Alexis grinned and pulled out her radio, a sub box with two sub-woofers covered in red Ferrari leather with a Pioneer radio. She hooked up the auxiliary and plugged in the power supply, inserting the phone connecter into her Kindle. She put it on a high shelf that only she could get to without standing on a chair. Alexis then turned on World Under Ice by Lunatica while the rest of the class rushed to push all the desks and chairs to one side. A group of guys produced several bags of chips and bottles of soda they had been hoarding until now. Soon everyone was dancing, eating or chattering in groups. Alexis simply wandered around the classroom, snagging an occasional chip regardless of the good-natured protests.

A few hours later, school was nearly over and the class walked around outside somewhat sluggishly. Wanting to escape the heavy lethargy that crept over the students at this hour, Alexis climbed up a handball wall and laid on top, allowing her legs to dangle over the edge. Folding her arms behind her head, she stared at the clear blue sky of another ridiculously hot day. The few wisps of clouds that floated lazily across could never hope to provide any form of shade.

"Hey, Alex!" A shrill voice called.

As she looked down, a rock hit her in the head. The sudden burst of sharp pain made Alexis lose her balance and fall to the ground in an undignified heap. She leapt back up in an instant, an irritated snarl pulling her lips back as she caught sight of a classmate, a small reedy boy named Xavier, doubling up in laughter. He was that boy in class who annoyed everyone without fear of retribution. Even if he were beat up, the teachers would never believe that he started a fight because of his diminutive stature and model behavior in class. For some reason he derived extra enjoyment from picking on Alexis.

She literally had to twist both hands together to restrain herself from jumping on him. Her relatively good mood was ruined, a murderous anger replacing her tranquil spirit. In the end Alexis forced herself to walk away without a word. After what she had been through, this should be nothing.

The next day, Mrs. Cole led the class to the parking lot for the "huge surprise". Alexis had nearly forgotten all about it, although the class burst into a renewed wave of excitement when Mrs. Cole mentioned it again.

As the class stood waiting anxiously, a fire truck, a huge SWAT van, a yellow Fiat sized car, a black and gold motorbike and an ambulance suddenly drove in and stopped in a neat line in front of them. Intrigued by the odd selection of vehicles, Alexis spun around to scrutinize them with a glint of interest in her dark green eyes.

"Class, it is my honor to introduce you to the Autobots from Detroit City!" Mrs. Cole announced.

In a blur of movement, the vehicles transformed in a mass of shifting parts to reveal the five humanoid forms of robots that towered over the humans, each retaining the color scheme of their previous form and sporting a pair of clear blue optics. They knelt with surprising fluidity as the former fire truck, a red and blue robot, spoke in a distinctively male voice,

"Hello, humans. I am Optimus Prime, the leader of this group of Autobots. This is Ratchet, Prowl, Bumblebee, Bulkhead and our human friend Sari, and we are honored also to visit Hesperia as our last stop of the 'Operation: Assure All' tour. We are here to exchange culture, answer all questions you may have about us and our activities in this country, and to reassure you of our mission on this planet."

So that was why Alexis hadn't been as shocked as she should be. Everyone by now had heard of the robots from Cybertron residing in Detroit, Michigan while they fought crime, did construction work for the city and battled another supposedly "evil" group of robots called the Decepticons. However, many people had begun to resent their presence recently, since it was rumored that Detroit had spent an immeasurable amount of expenses to repair the battle damages of these fights. The amount of deaths in the city had also risen quite significantly.

Which was why Alexis was surprised to see a young human girl traveling with the Autobots. The small child clad in a simple orange dress with red hair tied in two unruly pigtails hid behind Bumblebee's leg. Alexis waved at her kindly, to which she responded in turn with a wide smile.

By now the Autobots had finished their introductions and were now taking questions from the curious students. At this Alexis suddenly felt the urge to ask one herself, especially after Prowl finished explaining the vicious and cruel nature of the Decepticons.

"Optimus Prime, why did you decide to defend our planet if so many of your own kind despise us as if we are a mere virus?" Alexis inquired.

Optimus turned his attention to this tall girl with her odd question and intense gaze that demanded a reply. Like the others had done, he crouched down as he prepared to answer.

"Well, I believe that your race deserves life, the same kind of sentient life both humans and Cybertronians share. Though this makes us equal, you are still a young race requiring time to develop and mature, and you deserve a chance at this without the Decepticons trying to ruin it all."

Alexis nodded and sat on the ground quietly, murmuring to herself.

"PlayStation, you are going to get it when I get home..." A familiar voice sneered, followed by a rock thrown at her head, which, fortunately for her, missed. Alexis didn't move, but she fell silent as she ground her teeth together. Another rock flew at her, and this time Alexis' hand shot up, catching the projectile with uncanny precision. With a blank expression, she rose up and walked slowly towards the culprit, a smirking Xavier. At first he grinned with the easy confidence that he could get away with this, but Alexis grabbed his shirt in one swift movement and slammed him hard to the steel wall behind him.

"Look, you foolish excuse for a human, you need to stop annoying me or else you will get your skinny behind kicked from here to Canada." She said quietly.

"Oh, ha ha… can't wait to see you try—" Xavier laughed uneasily.

Alexis' control snapped, and she saw red, "DO YOU HEAR ME?"

Xavier's eyes popped wide open, for the murderous intent in that yell scared him genuinely for once. He nodded in fear, and Alexis dropped him and sat back in her spot. Everyone nearby stared at her as she murmured about fools and PlayStations.

Miraculously enough, the Autobots hadn't noticed this heated exchange. They had started to ask questions of their own concerning the lives of the students, which many answered enthusiastically. However, Optimus' question confused them all.

"Has anyone found small shards of rocks that glow blue?"

The students muttered among themselves uneasily until the Autobot leader started to explain in a patient manner.

"It is an AllSpark fragment, part of a artifact that creates new Cybertronian life. The Decepticons had tried to use it for great evil, and we've barely managed to prevent them from doing so. Our last battle shattered the AllSpark into countless fragments. We have detected multiple shards here and need to retrieve them before the Decepticons could track us down…"

"Too late! They followed us here already!" Bumblebee exclaimed, pointing towards the sky where an increasing roar of aircraft engines could be heard.

As if on cue, a gray tilt-rotor helicopter, a tan and purple jet and a magenta harrier jet flew in, transformed into another group of robots that towered even over the Autobots and landed in the parking lot with earthshattering impact. They were obviously less friendly than the Autobots, for half of the class had already run back into the school building as soon as the helicopter's rotors caused a whirlwind that blew around everything that wasn't tied down. The rest of the students cowered against the steel building, unsure of what was going on.

Alexis remained sitting in her spot.

"Blitzwing, scan the area for the AllSpark shards!" The gray robot directed this command at the tan one. From his authoritative baritone voice, it was clear that he was leader of his team, a group that bore crimson optics instead of the Autobots' blue.

The other nodded, and one of his mismatched optics whirred and extended like a telescope the survey the scene. Alexis had the feeling that she should probably get out of the way, but for some reason she did not feel any reason to move. Why should she? No one was going to pay her attention, or try to hurt her—

"Blue Streak! What is WRONG with you?! Move!" Chris was yelling frantically from where he hid out of sight behind a pillar. However, Alexis did not even hear him.

"Zere, Lord Megatron. Zat foolish human sitting on ze ground. She has zem." The tan Decepticon referred to as Blitzwing said to his leader in a voice carried a light hint of the German accent.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Blitz-Wing." She said coldly, looking up at the enormous 'Con with a defiant glare. No one called her foolish and accused her of hoarding something she hadn't even seen before and got away with it! Besides, her infuriation with Xavier hadn't exactly died down yet, so Alexis was feeling bold enough to snap back at a thirty-feet tall robot.

"Well, you can't have her! The girl obviously does not possess the fragments. We're not about to allow you to harm an innocent bystander and use her for your experiments!"

"You Autobots have no right to condemn us when you yourself perform equally horrific experimentation on organics! That girl and her fragments belong to us!"

Alexis' scowl grew deeper and deeper as she was argued over like some misplaced object, not a sentient human who had as much free will as the larger Cybertronians did. Her earlier interest and awe of these robots soon dissolved into annoyance. Finally, she flung aside her calm façade, sprang to her feet and shouted furiously,

"ENOUGH! I belong to no one."

She glared at each of them as she paced back and forth with her hands behind her back. To his credit, Optimus did look a little apologetic. However the Decepticon leader, Megatron, regarded Alexis with a strange look in his optics.

"I highly doubt you meant your poorly worded declaration when you have obviously taken sides with the Autobots already. Prove it to yourself then, after you've seen both sides of the situation." He said shortly.

"Then I shall see both sides." Alexis shot back. Again she felt no fear in addressing the Decepticon, or dismay that she had somehow caught so much attention from both groups. There was only a bitter determination to arise to the challenge she had been offered. For once she realized that… she had hung on the edge for so long, never really fitting in anywhere or with anyone. Alexis had been content to do so for many years until a sense of homesickness nudged her here and now, reminding her how long she had wandered on her own.

"Very well. Fall back for now, Decepticons." With that order, Megatron and his team transformed and took to the skies once again, leaving the Autobots and the students thoroughly baffled by the encounter.


	4. Autobot Heroism

Chapter 3: Autobot Heroism

The rest of the day continued with an atmosphere of stiff tension after the "standoff" between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Alexis became even more silent than ever, completely ignoring anyone who tried to ask about her involvement in it. Mrs. Cole let her sit alone, knowing it was no use to try and get her to socialize whenever the young girl went into such moods. When school finally ended, Alexis packed up her things quietly and started to head home. To her surprise, the Autobots were still in the parking lot and upon seeing her, followed along in their vehicle modes.

"You almost got yourself killed today, kid. Should have known that there are some humans who actively looked for danger." Ratchet, the red and white ambulance, grumbled.

"Yet it was quite uncharacteristic for the Decepticons to leave so unexpectedly like that without obtaining the shards." The black and gold motorcycle that was Prowl spoke thoughtfully.

"You have already drawn their attention," Optimus explained, "Since they somehow thought you hold the AllSpark shard, we must keep watch over you until the Decepticons leave the area, which I suspect they won't until they get the fragments from you."

"But I don't have them!" Alexis argued back.

"Well, maybe you accidentally swallowed them or something?" Bumblebee suggested cheekily.

"The last time I checked, little buddy, AllSpark fragments aren't exactly edible." Bulkhead, the dark green SWAT van, rebutted.

"Whatever the reason, you better come with us for now, Miss… um…" Optimus fumbled,

"Alexis. My name is Alexis."

"Certainly, Alexis. I'm sorry to say that you may have to come with us for the time being. Will your guardians permit you to take this journey?"

Alexis' expression went blank, "I live alone."

"If I may ask, why? Surely you have not yet come of age—" Prowl start to ask.

"I'm really sorry, but I don't want to talk about it. I've lived alone for the past five years, and that's that."

"Don't pester her, Prowl. Everyone has their own secrets to keep sometimes." Ratchet reprimanded the other. Alexis was grateful for his intervention.

"Well, in any case, I would be glad to give you a ride back to your residence so you can pack your things." Optimus offered.

"Thanks, but I'm somewhat used to walking since it's not far. I'll be fine." Alexis declined politely. She did not add that she had a dislike of carsickness that was sure to assail her in any kind of car ride. Buses were an exception, for she had trained herself to see the gentle swaying motion as a lulling rhythm she could relax to. Since it was certain that the Autobots would be traveling via the highway, Alexis wanted to remain non-carsick as long as possible.

They promised to wait for her, although Bumblebee and Bulkhead drove off first to pick up that little redheaded girl from where she was buying souvenirs. Alexis soon walked onto her driveway and left the gate open. She began to pack hurriedly, stuffing all of her clothing and toiletries in two large duffle bags. Other miscellaneous things went into a third, namely another pair of sneakers, her collective money saved from her internship, some remaining food from the fridge, her PS3 (which took up most of the room), some games, her phone and its accessories and her much-used Kindle Fire HD.

Alexis lugged the three bulky bags into the living room, dumped them onto a sofa and surveyed the now empty house with some trepidation. She had few belongings and decorated her living quarters sparsely, but this place had been her home for quite some time. Leaving again would mean another turning point that she was unlikely to return to.

The young girl sighed resignedly. It was time to move on again whether she liked it or not. Then again, trouble seemed to always find her by itself. There was a part of Alexis that wished she had gone to find shelter instead of sitting stubbornly in her place as the Decepticons arrived.

Well, there was no use crying over spilt milk. Alexis made a final round through the house, checking if all appliances were unplugged, all windows shut and locked and all furniture covered in large sheets to prevent the dust from settling in. After everything passed her inspection, Alexis hauled her bags to her shoulders and squeezed through the front door, locking it behind her securely. She stashed the key in one of her deeper pockets.

"That will be all you have?" Prowl asked as she made her way toward the parked Autobots.

"Yes. I can't exactly bring my furniture along, though I do wonder where you will be taking me." Alexis replied, "Maybe Chino or Whittier? It's about an hour's drive from here."

"We are going to back to Detroit. Climb in, it will be a long ride." Optimus flicked one of his doors open.

Alexis groaned aloud. Michigan was all the way on the other side of the country, which would probably take more than thirty hours for them to arrive. Nevertheless, she steeled her resolve and clambered into the waiting fire truck, settling herself in the driver's seat as comfortably as she could and placing the bags beside her. With a shrug, Optimus shut the door and soon was cruising smoothly down the street. The other Autobots followed behind in a straight line.

"Are all cars this complicated?" Alexis gasped at the sudden movement, and tried to keep her mind off the impending motion sickness by commenting on the flashing panels and buttons all around the steering wheel, "I've never been in a one, mind you, but I have no intentions of learning how to drive if all cars look like this."

The Autobot's rich chuckle rolled in the cab, "I certainly hope not. But since I probably would never sit behind the wheel myself, I cannot say for sure. I do feel honored in driving you in your first car trip though. How did you stay away from these widespread transportation vehicles for such a long time?"

"Most humans at my age don't drive yet… and somehow I never really had anyone offer me a ride before. And no, buses do not count at all." Alexis started to ramble, saying the first things that came to her mind, "Cars are much classier; much more variety involved. Have you seen the newest Nissan GT-R? Now that is one good-looking car if I knew it. Seriously, admiring cars from the outside is more of my thing than riding in them…"

Optimus laughed to himself again and continued to drive on. Soon they stopped for a brief while to meet with Bumblebee and Bulkhead. Suddenly the passenger door opened on Alexis' right, and with a blur of dark red and yellow, the little girl named Sari jumped in to sit beside her.

"Hey, you're that awesomely brave girl who stood up to the Decepticons, right? I'm Sari Sumdac! Nice to meet you! I wish I were as bold as you were!" Sari jabbered excitedly as she pushed Alexis' bags to one side.

"Hey Sari," Alexis couldn't help but smile at the little one's enthusiasm, "I'm Alexis, and I will be staying with you for awhile if you don't mind."

Sari's eyes went wide, "Really?! That's awesome! I've always wanted a roommate or a big sister! After we get to Detroit, I gotta show you around my favorite places! You have to visit Burger Bot, and we have to have a sleepover…!"

Alexis allowed Sari to talk on ceaselessly. She had no doubt that she would want for something to do in Detroit with the other's eagerness. For once Alexis was somewhat looking forward to it.

"Alright, the two of you. I need you to listen to this." Optimus cut in as his radio switched on with a burst of static.

"I've sighted Blitzwing's vehicle mode a moment ago behind us," Prowl's voice crackled unsteadily out of the speakers, "As I expected, the Decepticon probably would be following us and take action when we are least expecting it."

"Stealth might be the wisest action to take now, Prime. Do you think we should take the smaller less-known roads?" Ratchet asked.

"But that would take days, weeks even!" Bumblebee protested.

"And that's not counting the refueling and rests." Bulkhead agreed.

Optimus sighed, "I agree with the young ones. We cannot afford to waste so much time in navigating the winding roads. We'll travel on the Interstate first, see how the Decepticons react to that and then decide whether we want to go in stealth or not."

"And don't forget Alexis and Sari," Bulkhead suddenly brought up, "They will need to get off time to time to… um… relief themselves and buy food."

"Don't worry. I got enough in my bag to last for three days." Alexis had unzipped her bag to rummage through its contents.

"They also need to keep a low profile. If the Decepticons do find us, it would be best if they do not know which one of us is carrying the passengers." Prowl pointed out.

"So we have to be sneaky whenever we get off? You got it!" Sari winked at Alexis.

This time she didn't share the other's enthusiasm. Alexis hadn't realized how much was at stake until now. She never wanted to put herself into danger like this, let alone the Autobots. It didn't seem right to have the others risk their safety for something she could have stopped in the first place.

However, Alexis' misgivings and apprehension soon faded when the Autobots hit the Interstate. After a few hours of driving, her head started to swim and her stomach roiled restlessly. With a discomfited moan, Alexis rolled down the window and slumped back into her seat.

"Are you okay?" Sari looked up from her game on Alexis' Kindle with a concerned look.

"No. Should have gotten someone to drive me around a long time ago… I hope I don't get sick."

She did eventually, and spent more hours in a miserable state of constant nausea. Optimus was kind enough to stop so she could walk around a little. Sari was also understandably concerned, trying to take Alexis' mind off her sickness by describing Detroit City and its widespread use of robots.

She thankfully dozed off, leaning against the window as she watched the sparse landscape zoom past. It was only when Optimus suddenly hit the breaks did she wake up with a start, banging her forehead against the glass painfully.

"What? Where are we now?" Alexis asked sleepily.

Bumblebee appeared in front of them, back in his robot mode, "We stopped in Arizona to refuel. Prowl's given the all clear, so you two can come on down to stretch your legs."

"I certainly need that too." Optimus' voice sounded a little strained, "Being stuck in vehicle mode for hours isn't exactly as comfortable as I expected. Go on, Alexis and Sari. There's a store next to the gas station if you need to get anything."

The two of them were soon out and walking around as Optimus transformed and stretched. Alexis had taken her food bag along with her, and now retrieved a couple of bagels and toast along with peanut butter and marmalade. Sitting down on the ground, they had a simple meal, for Alexis was still feeling a little discomfited to be eating heartily. But after washing her face at the bathroom in the gas station, she felt refreshed enough to get some of her former energy back.

"Hey, want to play a game?" Alexis asked her smaller companion. The Autobots had started to take turns refueling in the small gas station.

"Sure!" Came her ever-agreeable answer.

"How about hide and seek? I'll go first!"

Sari obligingly covered her eyes and counted loudly with her shrill clear voice. With an exhilarated shout of laughter, Alexis ran off in search of a suitable hiding place. There were none, to her dismay. The gas station offered little hidden areas, and the store would definitely be the first place Sari would search.

"Ready or not, here I come!" The little girl yelled.

Alexis doubted Sari actually had counted to twenty in a normal speed. Nevertheless, a panicked look scrunched up her face as she looked frantically around. Making a split second decision, Alexis shinnied up a long pipe that led vertically towards the store roof. The rest only consisted of watching bemusedly from behind a water tower as Sari looked around behind every bush, the store, the gas station and even among the Autobots.

"Okay, I give up! Where are you?" She cried out resignedly

Alexis slid down the pipe with a triumphant crow, "I was on top of that store! Next time, you have to look up if you want to catch me!"

Before they could engage in another round, they were interrupted by Optimus' severe voice. The Autobot leader was in his robot mode as he crossed his arms and regarded the two girls disapprovingly.

"Have you forgotten that we may have the Decepticons on our tail? Although we haven't seen them since Hesperia, we must be cautious and not draw attention to ourselves. I believe climbing on a roof or yelling around doesn't count as keeping a low profile."

"Sorry…" Sari said quietly, lowering her head in remorse.

Alexis' cheeks stung at the rebuke, although she was equally irritated at herself that she had let down her guard. Despite what it seemed like, this was no casual road trip. She couldn't help but wonder how things would be if the Autobots weren't enemies with the Decepticons. Who had initiated this enmity, and how many people had suffered because of it?

"Well, I do supposed you young ones are a little tired from being cooped up inside all day," Optimus relented, "But please, keep it down in the future, alright? We will be setting out now if we want to arrive at Detroit tomorrow."

"Right. I'll be careful." Alexis mumbled her apology and got into the fire truck once more after the Autobots leader transformed. Sari had gone off to ride with Bumblebee instead; Alexis didn't blame the little girl, for if she were younger she would have wanted to keep her distance after being rebuked.

"Wow, thanks for keeping my stuff intact even when transforming." Alexis exclaimed casually, trying to make the mood lighter as she plunked her food bag down among the others.

"Compared to six more hours of driving ahead of us, that is not difficult at all."

Bumblebee's shocked cry burst out of the radio speakers, "What?! You've got to be kidding me!"

Alexis couldn't help but laugh at the other Autobot's dismay, though she did nevertheless prepare herself for this final stage of the journey.


	5. Welcome to Paradise (Lost)

Ch 4- Welcome to Paradise (Lost)

The sun was already setting over the constantly bustling city of Detroit when the Autobots made their return. Alexis woke up as soon as she saw the neat lines of tall buildings stretching up from the horizon. She immediately sat up straight from where she had sprawled across the seats in Bulkhead's vehicle mode (she had switched rides at least three times) and plastered her face to the window, taking in the unfamiliar city sights with awe.

Soon the Autobots drove into a rather broken-down building that appeared to be a former factory and stopped. Light suddenly flared on, revealing a large area that had been decorated to look like a living area for the large robots. There were slabs of concrete arranged in the shape of a sofa in front of an enormous widescreen TV, a series of computer consoles in one corner surrounded by more screens, some tables and large piles of oil drums in another corner. The rest of the room consisted of the machinery of an assembly line, long rusted in disuse.

It was rather homey after all the Autobots had transformed had made themselves comfortable. Bulkhead had retrieved one of the oil drums and was now sipping from it contentedly. Bumblebee and Prowl collapsed down on the couch in exhaustion while Ratchet headed to the computer consoles to power them on.

"We have arrived at our base in Detroit. Please make yourself at home, Alexis." Optimus said kindly.

"Thanks." The young girl acknowledged. She hauled her bags to place them beside a table with a groan. They seemed to have doubled in weight, so with an exasperated sigh, Alexis extracted the PS3 and strode to place it by the TV. No doubt it would be awesome to play games on such a big screen; she had to try it one of those days.

"Hey Alexis! You want some candy? We need quick energy from that long road trip!" Sari came running to her with an excited look. Without waiting for an answer, she dragged Alexis with her to stand in front of a colorful vending machine with various brands of candy advertised on its glass surface.

"Sure, why not? I should have a quarter somewhere…" Alexis dug her hands into her pockets to search.

"Hee hee, that won't be needed," Sari said with a sneaky smirk, "But don't let the Autobots know! Watch this."

The red haired girl reached for her neck and pulled out a silver key. Inserting it into a keyhole, she turned it slightly… and the vending machine proceeded to spit out a large heap of candy.

"Wow! I guess you really aren't allowed to do that. But who cares?" Alexis whispered excitedly.

Bumblebee and Prowl had turned on the TV by now and were watching the news program with the volume on loud, so none of the Autobots noticed the two girls chowing down on candy on the far side of the room until it was all gone. They were, however, very confused when a very jittery Alexis proceeded to cartwheel in and scramble on Optimus' shoulder as she jabbered a stream of half-comprehensible words.

"—never knew that you guys keep an endless supply of CANDY in your base or I would have come a lot sooner! Do you Autobots eat this stuff by the way or have some equivalent to candy? If not, I feel really sorry for you! You've never been high before but that's okay! I'm showing you right now how to be high on candy…!"

With a single bound, Alexis was back on the ground again, running around in circles and hollering wildly. The five Autobots shared a bewildered look and proceeded to fix a sheepish Sari with a reproving glare.

"I didn't know she got sugar high so easily. She only had like… fifteen pieces, tops!" The little girl protested.

"Should have known that you would go for that candy machine first thing you got here," Ratchet was back in the common room, "Now look at the girl! We may have to wait for hours for her to calm down."

"Bulky, you reckon we should set her loose on Ratchet while he's cleaning up the medbay? She'll be the perfect weapon!" Bumblebee leaned in to whisper to his large friend.

There was a resounding clang and a pained yelp, "I heard that, you little scrapheap!"

"Okay. I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll stop her!" Sari apologized frantically, "Alexis! Hey, Alexis! Oh no! Stop! Don't do that!"

Alexis had started to chug down a few cans of Pepsi from her bags, followed by two Red Bulls.

"Oh, this is all my fault…" Sari moaned.

Surprisingly enough, Alexis did not explode in a flurry of sugar high and hyper-activeness as expected. She flung herself to sit almost lazily on the couch without another word, although she did make an odd sight. With her hair standing on their ends, her clothes messed up and shoes untied, Alexis looked as if she were suffering from a seizure with all her jittering and twitching. Everyone noticed with wry amusement that Ratchet's hands were twitching too, as if he were fighting the medic's instinct to fix anything that was malfunctioning.

"She'll be fine, Ratchet. Sugar highs wear off eventually if we leave her alone for awhile." Bumblebee assured, "Sari had one once, and there's nothing I can do to stop her!"

"This is not the sort of welcome I wished to give our new guest." Optimus shook his head, "Sari, please keep the Key away from the candy machine from now on."

"Although I do wish there is something we can do for her." Prowl murmured concernedly. He extended a finger to poke the still-twitching girl… who proceeded to jump up and yell at the top of her lungs.

"MORGAN FREEMAN, DO YOU EVER SHUT UP?!"

Then she walked off almost calmly, heading off deeper into the base.

Prowl sighed as four pairs of optics, one indignant and the other three dismayed, looked at him, "I'll go get her."

It took quite a long time to locate the missing girl, but Alexis was found hanging upside down from the rafters with her arms crossed and staring angrily at the wall for some reason. Prowl's first instinct was to immediately jump up and cup her carefully in his hands as he landed. He was sure that no human should be able to do that for an extended period of time without falling, or even survive that fall.

However, Alexis was now infuriated instead of high, "Prowl, have I ever told you that when I am mad, it usually means that I might want to attempt to kill someone? PUT. ME. DOWN. NOW."

The slim Autobot's optics widened as he put her down quickly, and the angry girl proceeded to stomp outside. Soon she was sitting on the roof after finding a fire escape stairway to climb, still twitching and babbling uncontrollably. It was when night fell over Detroit did Alexis finally regain her wits.

"I've made a fool of myself. What a great impression to leave…" She growled dejectedly. Sure enough, she could hear hushed voices speaking below her. Since there were quite many holes on the roof, it was too easy to lie next to one and listen to them.

"—seen anyone behave like that, high one moment and angry the next!"

"—some kind of disorder or not—"

"I personally have not met anyone like that. She's quite a handful, isn't she?"

"Oh, shut up." Alexis spat vehemently, knowing that they wouldn't hear her this high up. She was mostly angry with herself. What was she even doing?! Why did she even allow herself to be brought here or get into this mess? And at the first opportunity to prove that she was worth getting into this mess, she blew it with some uncontrollable sugar high. The Autobots probably saw her somewhat fascinatedly as a strange creature now as they continued to converse in low tones.

Alexis huffed. She should have known better than hoping to find a place to fit in. Megatron's challenge continued to nag insistently at her mind, a command for her to see both sides before deciding where she stood. She had been foolish to listen, because there was never a place where she stood with the others. It had always been her… her alone.

As Alexis stared into the city night view and allowed her gaze to wander among the mass pinpoint of lights that came from the towering buildings, she suddenly heard the low whine of jet engines streaking nearby. She craned her head to get a hopeful glance of these jets that left streams of white behind their tail, but instead got an eyeful of a familiar giant robot with a pair of mismatched optics.

Alexis yelped and scrambled backward.

"Shh! I'm not here for ze AllSpark shards." The Decepticon shushed her.

Now that she could see him up close, she realized that one of his optics resembled a monocle while the other was in the normal slanted shape. A name shouted by the Decepticon leader floated into her mind.

"Blitzwing?"

To her utter surprise, the other's face spun out of view with a series of mechanical whirrs to reveal a (rather terrifying) jack-o-lantern face that grinned at her happily through jagged teeth.

"Jou remember mien name?! Oh, I am so so happy!"

"What in the…?" Alexis was too dumfounded to complete her sentence.

"Sorry." The monocle face spun back to reveal Blitzwing looking a little annoyed, "It'z a rather uncontrollable condition I have vith ze appropriate faces to match. But I'm really not here for ze shards. I hope jou can believe zat."

"Then what are you here for?"

"Vell, I…" Blitzwing sounded a little lost, "You, uh… jou remind me of someone. I vas just curious."

Alexis was not impressed, "You saw me. You can go now."

"No, zere's more. I vant to know how ze Autobots had been treating jou."

That was completely unexpected. Alexis' anger faltered a little as she tried to understand why a Decepticon would be asking this question. Nevertheless she tried to answer the best she could after deciding that the other had no nefarious intentions so far.

"They're pretty nice," Alexis admitted, "That kid Sari is particularly fun to be with. They took my safety seriously and made sure I did nothing reckless. But honestly… it's kinda boring so far. I don't know if I'll see them fight crime and stuff."

"If zey are so nice, zan vhy aren't jou spending time vith zem right now instead of sitting on ze roof?"

Alexis froze, "You got me there."

Blitzwing laughed heartily, "I didn't mean to trap jou. If jou don't mind me prying, why?"

Alexis found that the Decepticon was surprisingly easy to talk to, so much that she forgot he was supposed to be an enemy capable of crushing her easily under his foot. Furthermore, he held a peaceable expression on his face, the crimson glow from his optics bathing the area in a soft shade of pink.

She told him about her less than acceptable behavior, the Autobots' rather estranged reaction and her dismay. She expected nothing much of it, so it came again as a surprise when Blitzwing chuckled again.

"We'll get along well! If I were vith jou, I vould have joined jou vithout hesitation… well, my random side vould gladly. Lugnut vould probably ignore you unless jou mention it vas for ze glory of Megatron, and zen he  vill  join jou. Starscream vill try to stop jou unless jou plot vith him to prank his leader. And Lord Megatron… vill just pay jou no mind. Jou really should come to our base one day!"

"Sounds chaotic," Alexis was already wondering what kind of life they led with all the blind hero worship, plotting subordinates and (sometimes) mentally unstable mechs.

And so they continued to chat casually in low voices, for the Autobots were still in the common room. Alexis found herself telling the Decepticon more than she ever did the Autobots on the long road trip. She was simply being polite back then, but now she was actually opening up and before she knew it, she had told him somewhat about her life after Blitzwing had asked about it tentatively.

"I've never really belonged anywhere, since I've been moving around for many years. You ask what happened before then? I'm not really sure myself. All I know is that my 'normal' life was ripped away long ago, and the rest of it is just a blur of memories I somehow cannot recall. About ten years of it, can you believe this?!"

"It is certainly hard on you." Blitzwing sympathized.

"And other stuff started to happen, things I experienced that others didn't. I got assaulted a few weeks ago rather violently, though I managed to flee before taking too much damage. Then the few friends I managed to make apparently decided that it was okay to overlook our friendship and backstab me. If you really think about it, it's almost as if everyone I know is insane!"

"Jou should have brushed zese matters aside," Blitzwing suggested, "Jou humans and jour woes of life… if jou don't let zem get to jou, jou vould be fine. One day jou vould learn zat zese little things don't matter anymore vhen jou face bigger zhings in life. Do jou zhink jou can do zat?"

"Maybe when people stop being complete morons and quit acting like they're so high and mighty when they are just insignificant idiots." Alexis laughed jokingly.

"Zat's Starscream jou're describing just now," Blitzwing returned, "I'm afraid he'll always remain somevhat a moron, so jou are going have to learn how to live vith such people."

"Oh man, I pity you already—!" Alexis started to exclaim, but a sudden shout of her name cut her off. She leant closer to a hole to hear Optimus' voice calling her insistently.

"Jou have to go back, alzough I genuinely wish we can speak again. It's been an enthralling conversation. See jou soon?" Blitzwing shifted his feet as he got ready to leave.

She smirked and nodded, "Only if you are up for a little fight next time."

"Jou're on." Blitzwing gave her a challenging leer in turn and transformed to blast off into the sky, soon disappearing into the night.

Now in a good mood, Alexis decided to head back into the factory, only to bump straight into Optimus. He was heading to a room that looked very much like his personal quarters.

"There you are, Alexis. Are you fully recovered?"

"Yes. Sorry for all that though. I should have more self-control. Sari was just trying to be nice to me."

"That's good to hear," Optimus said, "If you want to turn in for night, you may bunk in my quarters for now. Your arrival is quite unexpected, so we hadn't had the time and energy to prepare a room for you yet."

"That's okay. I can sleep anywhere." Alexis was already running to retrieve her bags. When she got back, Optimus had settled himself on a large tilted metal slab and offlined his optics. The young girl climbed up a ledge in turn and unpacked a comforter along with some folded clothes to serve as a makeshift pillow.

"Goodnight." The Autobot leader suddenly wished her.

"Thanks. You too." Alexis wiggled under the blanket and tried to make herself as comfortable as she could. She discovered she was already pleasantly tired from the long journey, her sugar high and the alarm that had assaulted her when she first thought Blitzwing had meant harm. Alexis soon fell into slumber hoping that her weariness would ensure a night of peaceful rest.

She hoped in vain. The first night in a new place always was the worst.

Alexis woke up feeling as if she ran a ten-mile marathon without rest, covered in sweat and shaking violently with her blankets tangled in her legs. Through the haze of fear and horror left behind by the dream, she was faintly aware that someone was calling her name urgently.

"Alexis? Alexis! Wake up!"

"No, NO!" She lashed blindly out at nothing, hitting her knuckles on something metal. It hurt, enough to shock her fully awake. Optimus' glowing optics in the dark was the first thing she saw; the blue light gave enough illumination to reveal a bewildered look on his face.

"I heard you scream a moment ago. Are you sure you are alright?"

"Do I look alright?" Alexis gasped out.

Optimus allowed her to spend some time in silence as she recovered. He didn't try to prod right away, although she could sense that he wanted to greatly.

"Bad dreams?" The Autobot asked simply as soon as Alexis managed to calm her breathing.

"Yeah. Don't worry. They bother me every night, so I'm somewhat used to them. My sleep often suffers in quality."

"If it helps you to talk about them, you may do so with me, Alexis. No one has to suffer alone, and most of us are willing to help you." This offer was followed by an awkward pat on her head.

She should have been touched, no matter how little, by the other's words. The young girl had suffered alone most of the time, bearing it with gritted teeth and clenched jaw, never complaining or giving way. Alexis had never needed anyone's help with anything, including the coping with her nightmares. However when someone assumed that she was not strong enough by asking her to unburden her anxieties to another, Alexis' solitary pride flared up in response. She was strong enough. She didn't need assurance. Assurance was for the weak.

"I've never accepted help, nor would I start now, Optimus. The matters of my mind are my own, and you will do well to leave them alone." Alexis said coolly. She leapt down from the ledge and walked out of the room, intending to get some fresh air outside. In her hurry to get away from any more incessant questions, she failed to notice Optimus shaking his head with a pitying look.

"What are we going to do with you, Alexis…" He muttered wistfully.


	6. Thoughts of Days Past

Ch. 5 - Thoughts of Days Past

The sun rose almost lazily the next day, indistinct among the clouds that shrouded Detroit. The city was already waking up, with white noise from the roads outside and the honking of cars permeating the chill morning air.

Alexis was already up and about by this time. She had just finished her morning rituals and a simple breakfast salvaged from her food bag and was now trying to dismiss the remnants of last night's dreams. With a quiet shudder, she recalled her harsh words to Optimus' concerning offer. Though it was true that her pride didn't permit her to accept help, it still gave her no excuse to act rude.

"Sorry about anything harsh I said last night." Alexis meekly addressed the Autobot leader where he was typing away at the communications console.

"You were disoriented and frightened back then. I do not blame you for anything. If you don't want me to pry into your life, then I will respect your decision." Optimus stopped his work to give the young girl his attention.

"It's quite all right. I want you to understand me and my strange behaviors if I'm not going to be a handful here."

"I'm glad you decided to consult with me. Feel free to tell me anything you're comfortable with." With that, Optimus allowed Alexis to leap into his palm so he could lift her up to sit on the console.

"First of all, you must understand that I am missing about 10 years worth of memories from my life. This fact alone kinda messes with my head a little."

"This is certainly odd," Optimus sympathized, "But clearly it is not what you struggle with most from the looks of your nightmares."

"You got that right. I struggle with trusting other people on a whim." Alexis sighed. She had been ready to unload an explanation some time or later and had been preparing for it in her mind. Unlike her talk with Blitzwing, the words did not come naturally with the genuine desire to unburden herself. Nevertheless, Alexis tried her best to make things clear.

"It started when I visited a convenience store. Then a man with a gun proceeded to burst in and take the first person he saw as hostage, which happened to be my best friend who was with me. I remember all the screaming as people tried to flee, but then froze when he demanded everyone to empty their wallets or he'll shoot her. I got angry and desperate at this point and lunged for the man, only to be shot multiple times before someone else managed to knock him down."

"Oh my. It is a miracle that you are standing here today." Optimus said worriedly.

"Yeah. I got a heart transplant though in order to survive. But that isn't the main point. Do you know what my friend did while I was lying in a pool of my own blood and gasping for breath, knowing that I had gotten myself wounded to protect her? She ran. First thing she did was to leave me like that and run for her life."

"You felt betrayed."

"That is why I cannot trust anyone. No matter how much you do, or even how much you admire and love a person, there is always that moment when they hurl it back in your face when you need help the most. Besides, I believe that if I could do certain things on my own, I need no help from anyone who offers. It's this same kind of strong independent pride that kept me from growing close with anyone."

"I do agree that you should do things you're capable of without help," Optimus said, "But you may have to work on your trust issues. From what I know of your kind, humans aren't made to be solitary beings, and you may be already suffering from something else already. I am truly sorry that you had to see that much so young, but rest be assured that me and my team will try our best to support you. For now, I am genuinely glad that you have survived this experience."

Now that Alexis wasn't shivering from another horrific nightmare, she felt a little warmed by his words. Although it may be a long time before she trusted another person again, she was thankful that she had gotten this far with her life intact.

"Me too, big guy." Alexis sighed, "Me too…"

"Alexis! Alexis!" A familiar voice called excitedly, followed by Sari running into the common room. She was wrapped in multiple layers of coats, complete with a red knit cap, a pair of furry yellow boots and orange mittens.

Alexis smiled at the sight, thankful for the little girl's distraction. She wasn't sure how long she could continue to talk about the past.

"Hey Sari! Is it snowing outside already?"

"No, but Detroit's really cold at this time of the year. I'm taking you out for a sightseeing tour, so bundle up! We're going to visit Sumdac Tower, the Grand Circus Park, stop for lunch at Burger Bot…"

Alexis laughed and jumped down to the ground, "Well, I'll be off then. Thanks for your time, Optimus."

"No problem. Have a good day, you two. I will ask Prowl to act as your escort. You will never know when the Decepticons might go after you again. He will meet you outside shortly after finishing his patrol."

Oh, she had almost forgotten that the Decepticons may be still around. But oddly enough she didn't feel as scared as she should; there was a certain accented robot that she enjoyed talking to. Soon she was cruising along the roads of Detroit on Prowl's motorbike form with a shrieking Sari clung to her back.

* * *

True to her word, Sari guided Alexis to visit the places she spoke about. At Sumdac Tower Alexis received an unexpected surprise when she realized that Sari was the daughter of the CEO of Detroit's sole robotics manufacturer, Isaac Sumdac. She didn't start to treat Sari with special respect though, for the other remained the enthusiastic happy girl Alexis knew and liked.

With Prowl as their transport, they visited as many landmarks and tourist sites as they could. Alexis was struck by the difference between Hesperia and this never-resting city. Every person she saw was always busy doing something, often accompanied by a robot that aided them in many ways. Cars packed up the roads at certain hours of the day, but with Prowl's vehicle mode they were able to easily slip through the traffic jam. And all that noise! Alexis often had to plug her ears when it got too much for her. It was so overwhelming compared to the relatively peaceful life she led in Hesperia.

Alexis was exhausted by the time night fell and they returned to base. Sari was obviously worn out too, for she mumbled a "Good night" through an enormous yawn and headed directly to the room she shared with Bumblebee.

She should settle down too, Alexis decided. However as she proceeded on to Optimus' quarters, a series of muffled clangs rang out from the outside.

Alexis raised in eyebrow in curiosity and headed out to find its source, only to run smack dab into a familiar Decepticon.

"Alexis! Zere jou are!" Blitzwing's random face grinned at her happily.

"Oh hi!" She answered brightly, her tiredness immediately forgotten, "Were you trying to be sneaky? I almost didn't hear you, you know?"

"Being light on my feet is mien specialty! I'll have jou know that I took dancing lessons before."

Alexis couldn't prevent a short burst of laughter from escaping as she pictured a thirty-feet tall giant robot attempting to do the cancan. Blitzwing cackled in joy also until his calm and collected face spun back into view. Then he sat down on the ground as if to prepare for another engaging round of conversation.

"How have jou been?" He asked.

"Good. The Autobots still haven't done anything exciting yet, so I'm getting the tourist treatment of Detroit," Alexis sat next to him, "Seriously though, I would love to visit you guys one of those days."

"If I get Lord Megatron's permission, jou can come over as soon as tomorrow. Just make sure ze Autobots don't follow jou, alright? Hopefully zey did not restrict jour comings and goings?"

"Nah."

Was it Alexis' imagination, or did Blitzwing look pleased at this?

"Still, I vonder if jou could handle being among us Decepticons. It's no place for a weak puny human."

"I'll show you weak and puny!" At this, Alexis sprang up in mock rage, "I told you last time that when we meet again I'll be up for a fight. Prepare yourself, Blitzwing!"

"Zat is no way to speak to a superior opponent! I'll teach jou some manners, jou little pipsqueak!" Blitzwing's face suddenly changed to a new square-looking one that wore a visor over his eyes. With a gap tooth in his mouth, this angry face looked so comical that Alexis burst into peals of laughter once again.

"Oh man! How many faces do you have in total?!"

"Three," Blitzwing's normal face spun back again, "But none of zat matters if jou can't hold jourself up in a fight. Now try to tag me on ze foot as I prevent jou from getting close."

"You're on!"

With that, the young girl and the Decepticon began an odd sort of skipping dance, with Alexis trying to get in close for a tag and Blitzwing leaping out of the way. Eventually he started to fire shards of ice from the twin cannons attached to his back, which Alexis barely dodged by rolling around. To be honest, they made quite a racket in the abandoned factory area. But most of the Autobots had retired for the night and fortunately heard nothing.

Alexis made her first tag when she tricked Blitzwing into firing in a circle and then diving to give his foot a solid slap. She soon had to sprint fast when the Decepticon almost kicked her away. After spending another few minutes dodging Blitzwing's attacks, Alexis then made her second and third tags.

"Alright, I give up. It has been a vhile since I had such a vorthvhile adversary. Vell done, Alexis." Blitzwing gave a little bow with a pleased look on his face.

"I told you I could handle myself. Your buddies will never know what hit them!" Alexis bragged as she pumped her fists triumphantly.

"Oho! I'd like to see jou punch Lugnut flat on his back," Blitzwing's random side made its appearance again, "Zat big lug needs a little knocking around sometimes. I'll continue to spar vith jou longer, but I have to head back to base. I'll see jou tomorrow!"

With that, Blitzwing transformed into his jet mode and blasted away into the night. For awhile Alexis panted from that rather intense workout she had; there was an exhilaration she had never known before racing through her veins, lending her the adequate agility and speed to dodge Blitzwing's attacks. Now that she was beginning to calm down, the exhaustion began to creep up again. Nevertheless, Alexis somehow felt alive from that mock battle. There was something right about the thrill that arose in her when Blitzwing challenged her. In fact, she was so affected that she couldn't even fall asleep after sneaking quietly into Optimus' quarters and curling up on her ledge.

Alexis gave up after lying awake for about an hour. She decided to walk around the base in the hopes of calming her mind. All the Autobots were in sleep mode, so she won't be disturbing anyone.

The hallways were shrouded in shadow, the darkness occasionally pierced by rays of moonlight shining through the roof holes. With the help of this natural illumination, Alexis found her way to the empty common area. At night this normally occupied room seemed cold and abandoned, with the disused machinery casting threatening shadows all over the place.

She shivered, deciding that she should head outside. However, she caught sight of a blinking red light at the communications console. The Autobots had probably forgotten to turn it off.

Alexis headed over and pressed the flashing button. Instead of powering off, the console screen suddenly flickered on, the neon blue light it emitted almost blinding the young girl. When her eyes had adjusted to the brightness, she could see a few lines of text scrolled across it.

Communication packet received\

Now accepting transmissions from sender ID: 33665655\

Please wait…

Alexis frantically tried to turn it off, for she had no intentions of accepting or transmitting any messages on an unfamiliar machine. However, the screen fizzled a few times and proceeded to reveal the imposing figure of Megatron the Decepticon leader himself accompanied by Blitzwing in the background.

"Um… Hello? This is Alexis Boyer speaking," Alexis stammered a little at the unexpected surprise. Was this supposed to happen? "You have reached the Autobot HQ; what can I do for you at this late hour?"

However, Megatron wasn't even listening to her as he spoke to Blitzwing in a low voice, "… to actually work. I certainly do hope that your interest in this human is worth my time spent on programming this communication packet…"

"Excuse me. Am I interrupting something?"

"Fortunately for you, no," Megatron finally turned his attention onto the young girl with a disdainful look, "Blitzwing has just informed me that you would like to visit our base tomorrow. Have you finally found your answer to my challenge?"

"I haven't, but I won't find it unless I see both sides as you have said." Alexis returned snappily enough. But there was an aura of absolute supremacy that radiated from Megatron, so much that she didn't dare to speak as flippantly as she usually did. Alexis felt as if she had to be on her best behavior as if speaking to a respected authority.

"And I would very much like to visit your base tomorrow. Thank you for your invitation, sir." She finished politely with her head dipped low.

Megatron's optics narrowed at this, but the look contained with them was of interest. He started to speak, but was cut off by a loud bellowing voice ranting in background, followed by a gigantic green and purple one-eyed robot stomping into the screen.

"—will bring Cybertronian society back to its former glory! How dare you insinuate otherwise, you backstabbing traitor?! Megatron's greatness is boundless and glorious—"

"Yeah, blah blah Megatron blah GLORIOUS blah I will kiss the ground where he walked," Another slender magenta colored robot with a pair of sleek metal wings on his back strode into view, "Seriously, Lugnut. No one wants to hear your extreme pontification all solar cycle."

At this, the Decepticon leader sighed and rubbed his nasal ridge one hand. Then he turned to address his two unruly subordinates.

"Starscream, stop provoking Lugnut. You know how he gets when his loyalty is called into question. And Lugnut, keep your voice down. I am fine with praises until they are uttered several megacycles in a row."

Alexis snickered a little at this. She was somewhat reminded of an exasperated parent reprimanding a group of arguing children with the tired experience of doing so every day. The Decepticons certainly led a noisy life. That hulking robot must be the Lugnut Blitzwing had mentioned earlier, and Starscream the one who tended to plot against his leader.

"Of course, my liege! A thousand apologies for intruding upon—um… forgive me, Lord Megatron, but why are you speaking to a human?" Lugnut had caught sight of Alexis.

Megatron's right optic twitched as he turned to him, "I do not have to explain everything to my subordinates. If you want to make yourself useful, remember that you are assigned to guard duty tonight."

"AH YES! I almost forgot, my liege! Again a million apologies—"

"Will you just shut up?!" Starscream gave the other a hefty kick, only to run shrieking when Lugnut roared in anger and proceeded to chase him out of sight.

Alexis coughed awkwardly, although she was secretly enjoying the show, "So… you were saying?"

"Before we were interrupted, I was going to say that Blitzwing will pick you up tomorrow near the human refueling station know as the 'Burger Bot' at noon. Make sure that no one follows you, for our base location is to remain a secret from the Autobots. Is this clear to you?" Megatron regarded the young girl with a sharp look.

"Crystal clear, sir!" Alexis gave a smart salute, "I shall see you tomorrow."

With that, the Decepticons cut off the communication as the screen went black. Alexis made sure that the console was powered down properly this time before heading back to her sleeping area. An excited buzz continued to keep her awake for a good while, so she tried to sort her thoughts in an attempt to calm herself.

Alexis was certainly eager to visit the other side, partially because she knew a certain three-faced mech would treat her well. The chaotic life of the Decepticons was also, in a strange way, familiar to her as opposed to the Autobots' stifled life of sheer goodness.

At this a twinge of guilt tugged at the young girl. The Autobots had been very nice to her with their mild tempers, occasional bewilderment at her behavior and dedicated concern for her safety. It won't be some sort of… betrayal if she visited the Decepticons, won't it?

Alexis dismissed this thought with a weary huff. She was on nobody's side yet, so it didn't matter that much. She was simply a guest who was free to go anywhere she wished.

With that thought in mind, the young girl fell asleep, eagerly looking forward what the next day would bring.


End file.
